Day three of the 2011 Dakar Rally took the desert classic nearly 800km up country from Cordoba to Tucuman. Event organisers decided to freshen things up this year and Monday's stage saw the race hit virgin territory. Tim Sturtridge brings us his daily round-up of events from in and around the Dakar bivouac...
Yet another thunderstorm churned up the track and ensured some spectacular racing was on show for the bumper crowd that turned out in force to see the action.
Once again ‘El Matador’ Sainz found the softer ground to his liking and the Spaniard clocked up another stage win. In the process Sainz also extended his overall lead from Stephane Peterhansel to over three minutes.
It was a less encouraging stage for Sainz’s team-mate Mark Miller. A crash after just 45 kilometres of the 324 kilometre-timed special saw the American lose his bonnet and windshield. After losing nearly half an hour on the leaders, the rain was also pouring onto Miller and co-pilot Ralph PItchford, confounding their misery.
After finding out that it was actually he and not team-mate Ruben Faria who won the opening stage of the Dakar things got even better for reigning bike class champ Cyril Despres. Cyril emulated Sainz’s feat and made it a perfect start to the 2011 Dakar Rally with back-to-back stage wins.
Snapping at the heels of Cyril is his greatest rival, Marc Coma, who currently sits in second place, 2m 35s behind the Frenchman.
Alejandro Patronelli gave the crowds lining the streets in Tucuman plenty to cheer about as the Argentinian won the quad class stage. Alejandro now moves up to second place overall, while his brother, Marcos, last year’s winner, is still trying to come to terms with a six-hour time penalty inflicted by the race organisers.
There were no surprises in the truck class with yet another stage win for the Team Kamaz. The latest team member to taste success is Firdaus Kabirov, his win shooting him to the top of the standings after a great day behind the wheel.
Spotlight on Red Bull riders
Cyril Despres’ search for a fourth Dakar title is off to the perfect start with back-to-back wins in the first two stages of the race. Cyril explains how he threw caution to the wind on the road north towards Tucuman.
“Today the track was full of bends and very slippey, like a 300-km giant slalom with jumps, like skiing.
“I noticed at the refueling point that I’d taken almost a minute less than Coma. I was feeling good, so I decided to attack a bit in the second part, though I was careful to look after my tyres because I nearly wore them through today.
“The most important thing is to find a good pace and have the right feeling. For the moment, the riding demands a lot of concentration.”
It was also a good day for Aprilia rider Chaleco Lopez. A solid performance shot the Chilean into fourth place overall and he is looking to maintain his improvement before being greeted by his home crowd.
“I really had fun on this special. It was a stage that really suited my bike. I suffered because of the dust though and it was difficult to catch up with the riders ahead.
“The race has really started for me now. It’s been a positive day”.
Dakar’s Just Deserts
Robby Gordon and his Hummer may already have secured their place in the hearts of South American race fans but the same cannot be said of their place at the top of the Dakar Rally leaderboard.
After getting a corner horribly wrong on the slippery track and colliding with a fence, the self-confessed showman had to take some evasive action to get his bright orange vehicle back on track.
He jumped behind the wheel of a spectator’s Fiat Uno and pulled his Hummer free of the fence. The David versus Goliath struggle between the hatchback and four-wheeled beast sums up the performance of Gordon’s Hummer at this year’s Dakar so far. Sometimes bigger is not always better.
Word from the waypoint
“I asked for news about the spectator that I hit yesterday and he only has two broken ribs, so I’m very relieved.”
Frenchman David Casteu expresses his regret and sympathy after his Sherco bike collided with a spectator on the first stage of the 2011 Dakar.
Today’s Dakar Lucky Number: 67
Number 67 is being worn by Christian Califano at this year’s Dakar Rally. The Frenchman had already been to Tucuman before rolling in on his bike at the end of day three. Califano played international rugby against Argentina in the city three times during a distinguished egg-chasing career.
“Tucuman is the Argentine version of Toulon. I’ve played here three times with the French team and the reception is a rough one. It’s serious stuff. Some international careers have even been shattered here”.
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